Steve Rampy woke up early Friday morning to watch video of Shawnee Mission Northwest's high-powered offense. He didn't like what he saw.
"I got up at 4 o'clock this morning. I hadn't watched much of their offense, and I thought man, this is going to be a great challenge."
The Lawrence High head coach can sleep in on Saturday if he chooses after watching his defense dominate in a 51-20 victory at Shawnee Mission North District Stadium. With the win, the Chesty Lions remain alone atop the Sunflower League standings at 5-0.
"I thought that we'd win, but we just took over the game. We had such a complete defensive game," said Rampy. "They took a really good offense and took their will to play away."
The Cougars (4-1) scored an average of 47 points per night through their first four games. They managed to score only two offensive touchdowns against Lawrence. Ty Black, the leading passer in the state of Kansas, was grounded for only 123 yards and no touchdowns through the air. Ty Lindenman, the leading receiver in the state, was limited to just 44 yards on 4 catches.
"They're a big play team. They scored 54 points last week. They've thrown the ball for 12-hundred yards. The kid's (Black) got 12 touchdown passes and none tonight? That's incredible," said Rampy. "To make them not want to play... We were just very physical. We've got a great scheme. It was just a complete game."
The Lions were just as good on offense. Junior running back Devin Neal had another breakout performance. Neal rushed for 130 yards and caught three passes for 129 more yards. He scored five touchdowns and played less than three quarters.
"We tried to get the ball to number-4. When we do that, good things happen," said Rampy.
With the game tied 7-7 in the second quarter, Neal caught a pass in the flat, dodged a tackler, turned the corner and scooted 73 yards down the sideline to give Lawrence the lead at 14-7. He had a nifty 9-yard touchdown run to make it 21-13. Then just before the break, he caught a pass from Jackson Dooley, cut back across the middle of the field and ran it in from 45 yards away for a 28-13 lead at the half.
"He made an incredible touchdown at the end of the half. He put his foot in the ground and came back and made two or three guys miss. He's just so fast. He's such a weapon," said Rampy.
Neal's fifth touchdown of the night was a dazzling 46-yard burst that ended with him high-stepping into the endzone. That was early in the third quarter. He didn't play the rest of the night.
Dooley had his best game of the season. The Lions' junior quarterback passed for 321 yards and three touchdowns.
Lawrence High returns home next Friday night to host Shawnee Mission South. The Cougars will try to bounce back from their first loss against Olathe Northwest.
